5 april 2018

A man of few words, Darrell Homes is happy to fulfil his role of Project Supervisor from his office, a converted shipping container on the still-growing Civtec yard at the Northgate Business Park in Horotiu.

He’s excited for the future of the company, as it expands and moves towards undertaking the vital restructuring process that inevitably comes with growth, which Darrell believes will benefit everybody within the organisation.

“I trust Shane to capably handle any restructuring,” Darrell says of Civtec’s CEO and founder Shane Smart, who Darrell has known for many years and had worked under in previous employment, “and I’m looking forward to being part of that.”

Civtec started in 2014 with the aim of filling a gap in the market for a quality provisioning service, originally keeping busy with the roll out of the Ultra Fast Fibre network but quickly expanding to meet a growing demand for services for both private customers and public projects.

Darrell Holmes appreciates the value a good boss can add to a workplace, having worked for successful businesses such as Brian Perry Civil, back in the day when Brian Perry was Darrell’s immediate boss.

“I came to Civtec because I knew and respected Shane Smart’s strengths as a leader,” says Darrell. “He leads through respect, not fear. Every employee knows what’s expected of them, which is the same standard of work that he holds himself to. When you work for a boss like that, it naturally makes you want to do your best, because you’re proud of the company you work for.”

Originally a petrol and diesel mechanic by trade, Darrell has always enjoyed activities based around engineering and figuring how things work – but he tired of being “inside a workshop covered in grease” and is pleased to these days be working in an environment where he gets plenty of fresh air and space.

He and his wife have a lifestyle block with a home orchard and Darrell has now extended his skills by building several structures on the property.

He says Civtec as a workplace has a “good vibe” which trickles down from management and influences everyone who works there.

“With Civtec I feel like I’m part of a high-performance team which works really well together. I’m looking forward to the next big things happening at Civtec and the opportunities that come with it.”